Project Black Rock
by Tetsuwan Penguin
Summary: After a half century, Mike Mercury once again finds himself in Supercar's cockpit. This time he's working with the Institute of science to help prevent a pending disaster with the help of Tetsuwan Atom.
1. Hello Old Friend!

**Project Black Rock**

* * *

_I couldn't believe that there were no Supercar stories listed here. Well maybe this one will be the first, and it's a crossover to boot. Supercar came out on American TV a few years before Astro Boy did, but both shows are ingrained in the same era, more or less. I grew up with both of them. _

* * *

_**Part 1: Hello old friend!**_

**Mike Mercury** walked through the Air & Space section of the Smithsonian museum. Hanging from the ceiling, or sitting atop pedestals, were many famous historical aircraft. Some were accurate reproductions constructed from actual blueprints, or from data carefully reconstructed from photographs. Others were actual examples of the aircraft, in some cases they were the only surviving examples of that specific design. Mike took his time to examine each of the exhibits on display. He walked slowly with the aid of a cane. Mike looked at his watch, he had enough time to leisurely stroll to his destination.

As he entered the next wing of the museum, he could see it in the distance. Hanging from the ceiling by strong, transparent cables, it was presented in a climbing attitude at a high angle of attack. The spotlights caught its distinctive red and silver-white with yellow trim paint job, still looking fresh after over half a century. Mike walked slowly toward the far end of the building, stopping often to look at another exhibit and catch his breath.

Mike looked up. Sitting in the cockpit of the aircraft was a dummy with his hands on the control yoke. The manikin looked almost like the 50 year old photograph that was attached to the information plaque on a stand just under the hanging exhibit. A photograph of Mike Mercury in his early twenty's. Of course Supercar was much more than an airplane. Part automobile (in hover mode), part submarine, part aircraft, part single-stage-to-orbit space ship, it had been far ahead of it's time. It still was.

Mike imagined himself behind the yoke in Supercar's cockpit. He reached for the throttle in the air and the memories flooded back to him. He could feel the acceleration and the G force of a seventy degree banked turn in a climb at Mach 1. He also remembered his friends. Rudolph Popkiss, had been dead for well over thirty years now, Horatio Beaker had departed the earth almost twenty five years ago. Jimmy Gibson was still alive, now just retired from NASA. He hadn't seen the old girl in over half a century now. This was the first time he'd ever been in the Smithsonian, Mike wondered why he'd never thought of visiting his old flame.

"You still think you could fly her?"

Mike was snapped back to reality by the voice coming from behind him. He turned to look at the face of a short, somewhat plumb, elder man, with a large nose and puffs of white hair on the sides of his head. The gentleman spoke in English with a thick Japanese accent.

"Professor Ochanomizu?" Mike asked.

"Yes, that's me." The man answered. "Few Americans seem able to pronounce my family name and prefer to call me by the title given to me by your state department."

"That's disrespectful." Mike replied. "Dr. O'Shay indeed!"

"So?" Ochanomizu asked again. "Do you think you could still fly her at your age?"

"Of course!" Mike snapped back. "Chuck Yeager was still flying supersonic jets at my age, and I'm every bit the pilot he was! It's too bad she's not airworthy anymore. Supercar's design was years ahead of the technology at the time. After its designers passed away, nobody could figure out how to manufacture replacement parts for her. Popkiss and Beaker's design notes were lost in a fire out at Blackrock years ago. For the life of me I don't know why the documents were never copied and backed up someplace."

"That's why we need your help." Ochanomizu replied. "You may not have all of the fine details in your head, but you and Mr. Gibson might be able to help us figure some more of it out. The American government and the Smithsonian institution have agreed to lend us Supercar long enough to study it and try to recover its technology."

"Us?" Mike asked.

"The Japanese Institute of Science." Ochanomizu explained. "Our two countries seem to have found themselves in a predicament that requires us to work together. Supercar might provide a possible solution. Mr. Gibson is already in Japan as we speak, along with a few NASA engineers that he recommended. With any luck, your Supercar will be readied for transport by the end of the day."

"How is she to get there?" Mike asked.

"The US Air Force suggested just putting her into a super transport aircraft, she would fit in one of those easily." Ochanomizu said. "A bit of a waste of fuel however, and the logistics would take a week or more to work out though. That's why I asked if you felt up to the task of flying her. Or at least sitting in the cockpit."

"You do realize that Supercar's engines haven't been fired up in over twenty years because they no longer operate." Mike said.

"I'm aware of that." Ochanomizu said. "But she could be towed in flight. Or perhaps pushed."

"By what?" Mike asked.

"Me!" The voice belonged to a small figure who had suddenly appeared from behind the old man. Standing a head shorter than Ochanomizu, the boy like being was dressed in short black pants, a blue shirt, and red boots. His black hair sported two star like cowlicks, Mike's gaze was caught by his large brown eyes.

"Let me introduce you to Atom." Ochanomizu said. "While he does resemble a nine year old boy, he is really a robot with some unique abilities."

"I think I've heard of him." Mike said. "My Air Force buddies leaked some classified information to me a while back about some robot that was code named 'Astro Boy', the result of some top secret 'Project Atom' in Japan."

"That would be me." Atom said extending his hand to Mike, who shook it.

"Glad to meet you in the flesh, sort of, Atom." Mike said.

"Then I think we should get ready," Ochanomizu said. "How long will it take you to pack?"

"I can be ready by tomorrow morning." Mike answered.

"Excellent!" Ochanomize replied. "With any luck the museum will be able to release your old friend from her display position by then, and we can be on our way to Japan."


	2. Reliving the Past

**Project Black Rock**

**_Part 2: Reliving the Past_**

**Mike Mercury **reached into the back of his closet. He pushed several hanging suits to the side of the rod and kept looking. It had to be in there somewhere! Finally, he spied it hanging between two old coats. The plastic outer wrap over the garment was yellowed from age and it tore as he tried to pull it up from over the hanger. He laid the uniform on the bed and slowly unbuttoned it. The uniform still had a slight, but still noticeable odor of naphthalene, from the mothballs that it had been packed with. Mike tried the pants on first. They were a little tight, but he noticed that a bit of the waistline had been folded over and sewn years ago as the garment had been lose fitting on him at one time. The jacket was another story, but standing in front of the mirror he saw that it looked presentable if left unbuttoned, or with only the bottom button done.

Having lived by himself for the past ten years after his wife had died, Mike had returned to his bachelor ways. He had always been able to repair his own clothing, and he quickly found a stitch ripper and used it to let out the pants. "There, that's more like it!" he thought after trying them on again. He admired himself in the mirror, the old pilot's uniform still looked good on him.  
"I want to look good if I'm going to sit in the old girl's cockpit again."

Mike checked his watch and saw that he was still on time. He grabbed his suitcase and headed out the door from his apartment. When he went out to the street, he saw that the private cab that Ochanomizu had arranged for him was waiting, double parked in front of his apartment building. The driver loaded Mike's luggage into the trunk and opened the door for him. Soon he was in route to the Smithsonian to meet the Professor. He hoped the crew at the museum had managed to carefully extract Supercar from the display area.

**When **Mike arrived he saw Professor Ochanomizu pacing back and forth in front of the area were Supercar was on display.

"The crane hoist that the Smithsonian work crew was supposed to bring to lift Supercar out of the building never showed up. They tell me it's stuck at another site and can't be freed up for days!" Ochanomizu said. "Yet they did start to open up the roof panels" he said pointing upward.

The metal sheeting between two sets of roof girders had been peeled back. The idea had been to unbolt a central beam in the middle of the roof and lift it out to make room to lift the famous aircraft up and out of the building. Without the crane, that wasn't going to happen. Lowering Supercar to the ground had been possible as the suspending cables had been hooked though several pulleys, and a motorized winch had raised it into position in the first place. Supercar now sat on the ground protected by several heavy blankets as the roof panels had been un-welded and removed.

Mike looked up at the roof and saw the problem.  
"There's no way to lift Supercar out between those two girders, the opening isn't wide enough."

"Not horizontally anyway." Ochanomizu said, scratching his chin.

Atom looked up at the gap between the center girder and the next two girders lower down the slope of the roof. His precision vision and his computer brain performed ray tracing on the image, and he was able to calculate the space. He then sized up Supercar's dimensions.

"It will fit" Atom said. "I can lift Supercar up vertically, nose first, and it will clear the gap by 2.6 millimeters."

"2.6 millimeters! Are you sure?" Mike asked "That's cutting it very close!"

"Not a problem for me" Atom laughed. "I promise you I won't even scratch her!"

Atom then removed the blankets that had been covering Supercar, and carefully lifted it over his head. He held the aircraft between the two rear fins and lifted it vertically, nose up. Firing his jets he slowly flew upward, eying the approaching gap in the roof and rotating his payload. Everyone watched as Supercar slid between the two steel beams with barely a millimeter between it and the beam on either side of it. It took Atom about ten seconds to clear the gap. By the time everyone had ran out the back door and around to the west side of the building Supercar was safely sitting on the ground, with Atom leaning gently against her.

Mike Mercury carefully looked the aircraft over.  
"I can't find a single scratch in the paint" he gasped.

"Like I said, No problem!" Atom laughed.

A flatbed truck pulled up and parked behind the building. While Ochanomizu and Mike Mercury watched, Atom lifted Supercar off the ground and carefully set it on the back of the truck. The driver secured the machine to the back of the truck.

"The Air Force has arranged for Supercar to be taken to Andrews AFB for some retrofitting." Ochanomizu told Mike. "They will be essentially taking her out of mothballs so she can be flown. That means re-activating her electrical and hydraulic systems."

"Yes, I was wondering about that." Mike said.

Professor Ochanomizu sat in the front of the truck next to the driver, while Mike and Atom sat in Supercar's front seat. It was a short drive from the Smithsonian to the Air Force Base. The truck pulled into a waiting hangar where Atom unloaded Supercar from the truck and set her down on the ground.

An Air Force mechanic handed Mike a pair of overalls.  
"You'll probably want to change out of your uniform if you want to assist me" He said.

"You've read my mind!" Mike said, as he walked off into a bathroom at the rear of the hangar to change into the work clothes.

They worked all afternoon, and into the evening installing new batteries, flushing the hydraulic lines, and replacing the fluids. Atom helped with all of the heavy lifting. As they examined Supercar's jet engines, the mechanic marveled at them.  
"I've never seen such precision in such compact propulsion units." He said.

"That's part of our problem." Mike said. "Supercar's engines are hybrid jet-scramjet-rocket units. The tolerance in the turbines are so tight that they usually wore out in a few thousand hours of operation. We had many spares built, but all of them were destroyed in a fire years ago. We also used a very special fuel mixture, the formula for which was lost in the same fire. It should be possible to get the engines to run at partial power using common Jet-A av-fuel, but that will just barely run the internal systems, it won't provide enough thrust for flight."

They worked at loosening up the tolerance of the turbines and re-adjusting the mixture controls to operate on common jet fuel. The rocket and scram-jet modes were disabled. Finally they double checked the electrical and hydraulic systems and installed the oxygen systems for high altitude operation.

By the time Mike and the Air Force A&P experts were finished, it was dark. Everyone had consumed take out pizza (Mike was amazed to see Atom scarf down half a pie all by himself!).

"You will first stop at Black Rock to meet up another member of our team." Ochanomizu said. "I think that you'd like to see the place where it all started again."

"Is there anything left of the old laboratory" Mike asked, "I was told that it had burned to the ground."

"Not quite." Ochanomizu said. "The Air Force moved in and clamped down on security shortly after the fire. You were kept in the dark, along with lots of other people. Even after Supercar was finally put on display at the Smithsonian, the details of the Black Rock facility remained top secret. You'll be briefed at your stop over at Black Rock."

Professor Ochanomizu then added, "Better get a good night's sleep tonight. You'll be leaving early tomorrow morning. The Air Force has provided you with sleeping quarters on the base. I'll be leaving now to catch a flight to Japan, I'll meet you when you arrive."

* * *

**Early **the next morning, Mike and Atom met at the Hangar where Supercar was waiting.  
"Shall we get going?" Atom asked.

"I still don't understand how I'm to fly the old girl" Mike said. "I understand that you are equipped with jet engines, but Supercar's stubby wings aren't very effective at sub-sonic speeds. She has a high stall speed and is almost impossible to land without her vertical thrust engines."

"Don't worry about that" Atom said. "I can lift her up and push her while you steer. Does Supercar have a maximum safe structural speed?"

"No issue there" Mike said "She's been in orbit, you know!"

"In that case, the flight to Japan is going to be fun!" Atom laughed.

Mike started Supercar's engines. Running on common Jet-A fuel they didn't sound like they used to, and couldn't be revved up faster than an idle power setting. That would be sufficient to power Supercar's electrical and hydraulic systems, however. Mike extended the wings, and activated the navigational systems. He locked in a course for Black Rock.  
"OK, all systems check." Mike gave Atom a thumbs up.

"OK then, here we go" Atom laughed.

Atom lifted Supercar up into the air vertically about 100 feet and then started pushing her forward. Mike watched his air speed indicator as they entered a climbing attitude. It didn't take Mike long to get the feel for Supercar's controls. He piloted the craft, as Atom merely provided the jet power to keep her going. As they reached flight level 500 Atom released a burst of power and their speed reached Mach 1. It didn't take them long to reach the site of the old laboratory.

* * *

**Atom** slowed them down as they reached the old facility and lowered Supercar into the building. Mike was surprised to see a familiar face waiting for him as they landed.

"Bill Gibson! You're still around!" Mike said, climbing out of the cockpit to shake the man's hand.

Bill Gibson was a few years older than Mike, but he still looked spry. He had been in aviation his whole life as a pilot, and owner of various flying service companies over the years. He'd worked in Alaska for a long time with the oil companies flying helicopters. Mike had lost track of him some time ago.

"The Air Force contacted me about a secret project." Bill laughed. "I didn't find out till a week ago that it involved your ugly face! I've been digging though the old laboratory here for the past week looking for whatever was still left behind. The Air Force has already brought what I've found to the J.I.O.S., and I'm going to meet you there. We wanted you to give the lab a final going over to see if there is anything left here that might help."

Together the two men and Atom looked around the facility. Atom mentally photographed everything with his camera like eyes. Mike saw that the fire had been confined mostly to Dr. Beeker's laboratory and Professor Popkiss's work shop. Atom's eyes could operate in the IR and UV spectrum enabling him to see otherwise invisible traces in the ground. He could see where the burn had been the hottest, and could even trace the path of the fire along the ground. It had been no accident, it was obvious that arson had been involved here.

"Hey guys, this fire was was arson!" Atom said.

"Yes, we've known that." Bill answered. "The military thinks it was the work of Alexandr Slanovicz and Emil Zarin"

"Master Spy!" Mike said. "I should have known!"

"You'll be briefed when you get to Japan," Bill said, "it appears that he's the fink behind the current crisis."

"Master Spy is still alive?" Mike asked.

"Strange how the evil ones seem to live forever, isn't it?" Bill said. "That old pain in the ass might outlive Castro!"


	3. An Old Enemy Returns

**Project Black Rock**

_Authors note: I've brought back some characters from my previous fan fictions. Guess this is going to become a multi-crossover!_

_Part 3: An Old Enemy Returns_

**Atom **continued to wander about the building, carefully observing everything. He was recording everything that he saw on the virtually unlimited space in his computer memory. He entered the main operations area where Supercar was sitting, and noticed a slightly portly man dressed in a General's uniform looked down at him.

"Now who might you be?" the man asked.

"Tetsuwan Atom, sir." Atom said. "From the Japanese Institute of Science."

"The robot known as Astro Boy, I presume." The General said, offering his hand. "General Hayes, United States Air Force."

"That's right" Atom said, "But I prefer the name Atom."

Bill Gibson and Mike Mercury appeared and saw the General.

"General Hayes, I was told to expect you!" Bill said. "I see you've met Atom."

"Yes, I was briefed about him before I got here." General Hayes said. "Have you been able to find anything useful here?"

"I've photographed the entire facility," Atom answered. "I can process the images later."

"It's been a wild deja vu ride." Mike said, "But I haven't found anything that the Air Force might have missed years ago."

"About the same here." Bill replied. "But I was only involved with the Supercar project briefly."

General Hayes looked up through the open roof panels and saw the clouds reflecting the red light from the setting sun. "I guess you will want to spend the night and set off in the morning." He told Mike. "Your old quarters here are still available."

"Yes, I already found my old room, it's just as I left it." Mike said.

"When you get to Japan, you'll meet up with an associate of mine," General Hayes said. "General Hammond flew over there yesterday from the Air Force Cheyenne Mountain facility."

"I think I've heard of him," Mike said. "Wasn't he assigned to Area 51 at one time?"

"Yes he was." Hayes said. "His current assignment is even more top secret, if you can believe that."

"General, Can you brief me on what is going on here?" Mike asked.

"General Hammond will do that once you get to Japan." General Hayes said. "This operation is highly unorthodox in that the US military is directing the logistics of the operation, while the technical details are being managed by the Japanese science institute, and the top minds from both countries are working on the technical problems."

**Early **the next morning Mike took a final look around. Bill Gibson had left with the General around midnight, just before Mike had bed down for the night. Atom had spent the night in Jimmy's old room. As soon as the sun's light started pouring down through the open roof they were ready to leave. Once again Mike powered up Supercar's engines to provide electrical and hydraulic power to operate the fly by wire system controls, and instruments. Atom lifted the aircraft into the air and pushed it forward as Mike locked in a course for Japan. Atom communicated with Mike via radio.

"How's it feel Mike?" Atom asked.

"The controls feel normal, Atom." Mike answered.

"Do you think she can take a sub-orbital, hypersonic route?" Atom asked.

"You able to do that, Atom?" Mike asked.

"Sure! I've been wanting to try that again for a long time!" Atom laughed.

"OK then, let'er rip!" Mike said.

Atom took a deep breath and switched from jet to rocket power. He accelerated pushing Supercar upward. Mike switched on the oxygen supply and cabin heat. He watched the altimeter digits roll past 100,000 feet. The sky turned a dark violet, and then an inky black as Atom pushed them through the ionosphere and into the lower reaches of the Exosphere. The airspeed indicator passed Mach 7 as they reached the apex of their sub-orbital flight.

"OK, now we coast back down!" Atom said.

Supercar's nose started to glow a dull red color as the friction with the atmosphere started to heat it during re-entry. Atom kept himself in Supercar's shock wave which protected him from the heat of re-entry. The sky slowly returned to its normal color as the aircraft entered the stratosphere. Mike could see the outline of Japan as he made his approach. Supercar was gliding in to an approach that would take it to the Institute of Science. He burned up speed slipping in and circling the area.

Atom rejoined Supercar in flight, and grabbed hold of the aircraft. Mike fired his retro rockets to burn off the last of his airspeed and Atom lowered Supercar into a gentle vertical descent onto the heli-pad behind the main building of the IOS. Mike shut down the engines and retracted Supercar's wings.

"So how was the flight?" Atom asked.

"She handles very well as a glider." Mike said. "But she can't land without power, at least not vertically, or on a short runway. How about you, any problems?

"That was fun!" Atom said. "I haven't been in space for some time. Of course I'll need to refuel soon, that used up most of my power."

* * *

**There was ** a briefing session in the director's office later that afternoon. Professor Ochanomizu had arrived from Black Rock earlier that morning after a long overnight flight. Jimmy Gibson had been in the country for a week now, having been given a tour of the IOS, and met with the staff he'd be working with. He now joined Mike in Ochanomizu's office. Mike and Jimmy spent a few moments saying hello to each other and asking questions of each other's past when two additional people unknown to Mike entered the room. One of them was a well dressed African American some years younger than Mike, the other was an U.S. Air Force General.

"So how was your trip, Mike?" Ochanomizu asked.

"A rush!" Mike said. "Atom gave me quite a ride. I almost wonder why you needed Supercar, if you have him."

"That will be made clear soon," The American General said, extending his hand to Mike in greeting.

"General Hammond, US Air Force." he said.

Mike saluted and then took the General's hand in greeting.  
"I've heard your name before, sir." He said. "You've usually been put in charge of top secret projects."

"That's true, Mr. Mercury." Hammond said. "In fact, I've been pulled away from my current command to take charge of this emergency."

The General waited for everyone to find their seats before starting the briefing session.  
"First of all," he started "Let me introduce you to Dr. Henry Deacon, on loan from Global Dynamics in Eureka."

Henry Deacon stood up briefly in response to the introduction and sat back down.

"As you well know Mr. Mercury, unfriendly forces tried to steal Supercar several times." the General said. "Particularly Alexandr Slanovicz and Emil Zarin."

"Master Spy and Friend Zarin." Mike said under his breath.

"Yes, those two." Hammond said. "Mr. Slanovicz was a free agent working for himself when you crossed paths with him, but he eventually decided to go to work for the KGB. While he wasn't a very productive member of the Soviet espionage organization, he did manage to pull off one act of sabotage and thief with some other soviet spies."

"The fire at Black Rock." Mike guessed.

"We suspect so." General Hammond answered. "Timing is important here, the chain of events after you left Black Rock will help explain things. Let me fill you in on the details."

"Please do." Mike said.

"As you know, Supercar was an amazing bit of technology for an independent laboratory to come up with. It surpasses many of the efforts done at Lockheed's Skunk Works with the crew over at Area 51. Shortly after you left, and just before the untimely death of Professor Popkiss, Henry Deacon was sent over from Eureka to try and obtain the technology. He worked with Popkiss and Beaker for a few months, and they willingly showed him some of the detailed plans."

"I tried to convince them to license their inventions to Global Dynamics." Henry explained. "However we were not able to come to terms."

"We found out that Popkiss had bought out Beaker's share of the project," Hammond continued, "though I doubt that any actual money ever exchanged hands. Beaker returned to England to work on other interests that he had put aside during his years designing Supercar with Popkiss. He left during the end of Dr. Deacon's visit to Black Rock. The only concession that Henry got out of the good Professor was the donation of Supercar to the Smithsonian. The Black Rock facility was actually locked up during the time of the fire as Professor Popkiss supervised Supercar's transfer to the Smithsonian."

"Yes I remember reading about that." Mike said. "The old man suffered his fatal heart attack while returning from that trip. So that's why the Supercar plan's were never archived."

"Yes, Popkiss had planned on taking care of that personally, but he didn't live long enough to do it." Hammond explained. "That's why we asked Dr. Deacon to join us, the two of you are the only technically savvy people left who have ever seen those blueprints."

"You still haven't explained why Supercar is suddenly so important." Mike asked. "It seems to me that the rocket technology that Atom demonstrated to me on our trip here is superior to anything that Popkiss and Beaker developed."

"While I would have to admit that Atom is quite amazing," Hammond said "our problem is that after being simply missing for many years, Supercar's technology has suddenly reappeared on the black market. If we don't act quickly we face the specter of it falling into unfriendly hands. Just a few days ago, we got word from one of our operatives in North Korea that Master Spy is now their guest."

"Dr. Fargo feels that we need to get Supercar back on line with her full abilities" Henry added, "Perhaps even tweak her up a notch or two. Supercar just might be the best defense available to the threat of certain space based weapons. I can't think of any other system that could launch on a moments notice and achieve orbit. Existing rocket systems require complex preparation, large land based launching facilities, and lots of ground based support. Supercar's aircraft to space approach allows it to go anywhere on a moments notice. Thank's to Dr. Beaker's secret fuel formula, which we will still have to reverse engineer with some help from my friends at Eureka, Supercar is the only way to met the threat that the General feels we are now facing."

* * *

**Alexandr Slanovicz **operated the controls of his wheel chair as he glided through his apartment in Pyongyang. Master Spy had been living in relative luxury thanks to the generosity of the North Korean government. He knew that the bits and pieces of information he'd been spoon feeding them would wet their appetite for more, and he'd been saving the best of his treasure trove as an ace in the hole.

After he and his bumbling assistant, Friend Zarin, had tried for years to steal Supercar, or obtain the plans to the machine, they had finally managed to be in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, Supercar had already been moved from the Black Rock laboratory when they had broken in, but the blueprints and fuel formula were left exactly where he knew they would be. Still it wasn't a perfect crime. For one thing, most of the technical documents were written in code, or some unknown language. For another, the fool Zarin decided to burn the place down during their getaway, and he'd botched the job and managed to critically burn himself in the process. At least he had the common sense to get his body far away from the crime scene.

Actually, the encryption of the plans had been a blessing in disguise, as the Koreans didn't pressure him for the next piece of the puzzle until they had managed to figure out the current bit. He had to hand it to Popkiss and Beaker though, they had changed the cypher they used with each section of the plans.

Master Spy had only the vaguest inkling of what the Koreans were planing on doing with the Supercar designs. He knew that they were working on a secret space based weapons systems to be used against Japan and the United States. By the time they had figured out the last of the details, he'd be long gone. He already had made arrangements with his one of his old KGB buddies who had access to his own private submarine. Slanovicz swilled the last of the vodka in his glass before downing it in one last swallow.


	4. Double Crossed

**Project Black Rock**

_Part 4: Double Crossed_

**Ye-jun No **looked up from the computer terminal at the calendar hanging on the wall. It had been almost a year now that he'd been wet nursing the former KGB buffoon trying to get him to produce the secret documents he possessed. Master Spy had converted the technical documents he'd stolen from Black Rock into micro film, and later scanned them onto computer medium. It had been a simple task to eventually find where he had hidden the data. Ye-jun had played dumb and allowed Slanovicz to believe that he was spoon feeding him the data, and he made believe that his cryptographers were having problems deciphering the data. It was a very good code, but done with primitive technology. There had been a few missing pieces, which was the only reason that Master Spy hadn't been disposed of yet. That, and the fact that he was the only person available to the Koreans who had ever sat in Supercar's cockpit. Now that Mastercar was nearing completion, and his engineers were happy with their progress, Ye-Jun was re-evaluating what he would do with the old fat cripple he had been host to.

Several miles away, buried under a mountain, was a secret laboratory next to a hidden air strip. Inside that laboratory sat a nearly completed aircraft. It was painted jet black, except for some thin yellow accent strips. Mastercar, was an almost perfect copy of the original, wth some improvements. Slung underneath the machine was mounted a carrier for two orbit to surface missiles capable of carrying the five mega-ton nuclear devices that were under development elsewhere in the Korean military's secret research facilities. With the 2020 summer games coming up in Japan, the country's satanic ruler wanted a spectacular show of force that would shock the world. It looked like Ye-jun No would be able to give it to him.

* * *

**Henry Deacon **leaned inside Supercar's engine compartment. He carefully disassembled the port engine, taking photographs and making notes in one of several laboratory notebooks he had piled up on a rolling tool cart. Atom stood next to Henry, watching. Dr. Deacon removed the last bolt holding the engine mount in place and was about to hook up the engine to the host chain to lift it out of Supercar when Atom reached inside and lifted it out all by himself.

"Thank's Atom," Henry said. "That assembly must weigh a few hundred pounds but you picked it up like it was only a pound or two!"

"Yeah, well I do have the strength of 100,000 horsepower." Atom sheepishly admitted.

"Don't go anywhere, I'll also need to remove the starboard engine as well." Henry said, patting Atom on the shoulder.

"So how's it going?" Mike asked, seeing the back end of Supercar in pieces.

"Actually, rather well." Henry said. "I remembered that Supercar's engines were special, and my examination so far confirms my fuzzy recollections. I think I can figure out how these turbines were manufactured to such precision, and we should be able to reproduce them. It's amazing how Popkiss and Beaker were able to combine the functions of turbo-jet, scram-jet and rocket into a single engine without losing the efficiencies of either of these."

"Dr. Tenma did that as well." Professor Ochanomizu added, placing a hand on Atom's shoulder.

"Yes, well if you don't mind, I'd like to examine Atom's engines also." Henry said, adding "I guess I should ask Atom though."

"Actually, we do have some spare parts for Atom that you can examine." Ochanomizu said. "You won't have to disassemble him to get a look at his propulsion units, not that he would have ever objected to such examination."

* * *

"**Take it or leave it!" **Ye-jun No replied curtly to the man in the wheel chair. "You assistance up to this point was greatly appreciated, but it is no longer required. You've become a bit of a nuisance around here, I'd suggest you take my offer and leave the country while you still can."

Master Spy put on an air of defiance. "You don't have all of Supercar's secrets. I've kept the best for myself, just in case."

"Really?" No laughed. "That's not what my engineers and scientists tell me. Our prototype of Mastercar will be ready to test in a few weeks. Sorry you won't be invited to witness it." Ye-jun handed Slanovicz a blurry photograph.

The look on Master Spy's face soured as he examined the picture. There was enough detail in the image to convince him that Ye-jun No was not lying, somehow the Koreans had gotten hold of the final bits that he thought he'd hidden from them so well.

"Very well." Slanovicz sighed. "I've gotten tired of the scenery here anyway. I'd wish you luck, because you're going to need it, but at this price I really don't give a damn."

Master Spy took the receipt from Ye-jun and saw that it was in order. The promised amount had been deposited into his Swiss numbered account.

"If you don't mind, I'll arrange for my own transportation." Master Spy added. "I wouldn't want to put you to any more trouble."

**The chartered **Antonov An-24 aircraft departed Pyongyang, headed for one of the former Soviet satellite countries. The old aircraft was operated by a fly-by-night division of the Russian Mofia that smuggled undesirables out of world hot spots with few questions asked, for the right amount of Rupples of course. Alexandr Slanovicz cursed the Koreans under his breath. He still feared that they had managed to plant a bomb on his aircraft and really didn't breath easy until the transport reached its destination. At least he had managed to figure out what Ye-jun No might be up to, he had enough information to put the CIA on the right track. Revenge would make up for the way he'd been treated.

* * *

**General Hammond** entered the laboratory and observed what was going on. Henry Deacon, Mike Mercury, and Jimmy Gibson were busy at the computer CAD terminals capturing the details of Supercar's engine design. Henry was doing a side by side comparison with another set of blueprints he'd gotten from the Japanese Science Institute, and verified against one of Atom's spare leg engines. Dr. Deacon looked up and saw the General. He motioned for him to come closer.

"You're just in time, Sir." Henry said. "I've completed my preliminary investigation and I have the data you've been waiting on."

"Go ahead, Dr. Deacon." The General said.

"Quite frankly, what Popkiss and Beaker accomplished back in the 50's was unprecedented." Henry began. "I don't think Supercar made use of more than half of what her engine design was capable of. Even Atom's propulsion system pales in comparison, and considering what he's capable of doing, that's amazing. The whole thing hinges on the secret fuel formula that Dr. Beaker developed, which it seems is lost for good."

"Maybe not." General Hammond said. "I got a communication from HQ a few hours ago. It seems that your former nemesis has been kicked out of Korea and is now in hiding somewhere. He wants to cut a deal with the CIA."

"Master Spy?" Mike Mercury asked.

"None other." General Hammond replied. "From what I've been told, he's fearful of what the North Koreans have planned, and that they've managed to steal the Supercar plans out from under him. I think he still has access to that fuel formula."

"Then we've got to get it from him" Mike said.

"That's going to take a bit of undercover operation." The General said. "You're face is too well know, Mr. Mercury, but we need to send someone that we can trust with the technical details, someone that can get themselves out of trouble if necessary."

"I've done that before." Atom said. "I've gone undercover for several police investigations, and my electronic brain can handle the technical details."

"We'll have to brief you on the espionage details, but I like the idea." Hammond said. "Let's get started."


End file.
